Smudge producing apparatus



Dc. 12, 1933. N. JORDAN ET AL 4 SMUDGE PRODUCING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 bade alien/Fl Filed March 4, 1932 dam,

Dec. 12, 1933. N. JORDAN El AL SMUDGE PRODUCING APPARATUS Filed March 4, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a n a? a w a W f a 90% @g..... m w 7 r mm Patented Dec. 12, 1933 SMUDGE PRODUCING' APPARATUS- Isaac N. Jordanand Walter F-'LSk, Chicago, Ill., 'assignors to Armour and Company, Chicago,

111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 4, 1932. Se'rialNo. 596,688

6 Claims.

The present invention pertains to packing house equipment and particularly apparatus for the production of a smudge in'the smoking of meats, ham, bacon, and the like. Specifically the invention has for its purpose the burning of sawdust and similar comminuted fuel by means of apparatus capable of regulation as to amount of sawdust consumed and smoke produced and entirely automatic in operation when once started and regulated. V

Our invention is not to be confused with apparatus for feeding sawdust j and other finely divided fuel to furnaces and fire boxes and boilers or the like where the object is to attain complete combustion and the generation of heat; but is contradistinguished therefrom by regulable constant feed of the fuel insmall amount and the attainment of slow incomplete combustion to produce a large volume of'smoke with a minimum of heat. f V

Heretofore sawdust has been used in the smoking of meats, usually by distributing the same in small mounds at spaced locations on the smoke house floor, lighting the same and permitting to smolder; shifting the location and adding fuel as changing conditions may indicate. Attempts have also been made to maintain the supply of sawdust to the point of consumption by a reserve body of fuel fed from a hopper. Due to the tendency of sawdust to bridge in a hopper and the lack of automatic control of supply and consumption, such has not been satisfactory. Success has not followed either of these methods in that both require the constant attendance of workmen, are inefiicientwasteful, non-uniform inresults and quite expensive; the annual cost of the sawdust alone in some modern packing house circuits running in excess'of forty 01' fifty thousand dollars per year.

The apparatus of our invention, once regulated and the fire started, requires no further supervision and produces a smudge of smoke constant in volume andquality so long as the supply lasts. The characteristic features of the apparatus whereby theseadvantages are attained are a sawdust hopper, an internal agitator to prevent bridging of the fuel therein, a gravity feed to the point of consumption, .an agitator within the smoldering fuel, a controlled supply of air within combustion and smoke production.

the fuel being consumed which is insufficient in- In order that the invention maybe readily understood, a preferredform of apparatus embodying' said invention andfunctioning in accordance therewith is set forth by way of example in the accompanying drawings and the following description thereof; it being understood that the invention is not to be taken as restricted thereto orother than as defined in the appended claims construed in view of the prior art.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 isa vertical sectional view through -a preferred formfof smudge. producing apparatus;

Figs. 2', 3, and 4 are respectively horizontal sections on the lin'es22, 3-3 and 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of the shaft suspension bearing; and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are respectively cross sections of agitator blades taken on the lines 6- 6 of Fig. 2, 7-7 of Fig. 3 and 8-8 of Fig. 1. i

Referring to the drawings for a description of the apparatus herein disclosed by way of example, standards 11. support a hopper 12 of funnel shape having the lower reduced portion 13 terminating below'in an open discharge mouth 14. This hopper serves as a supply reservoir for sawdust introduced thereto through the open top and has disposed axially therein a shaft 15 suspended for rotation therein by an appropriate suspension or footstep bearing 16 at its upper extremity and journaled intermediate its length 8 at 17 in a cross member 18. V r

This shaft is operatively connected by beveled gears 19 and 20with a drive shaft 21 which, in turn, is driven from a pulley 22 of a motor'23 by a belt 24 passing over a pulley 25, and aseries of reduction gears 26, 2'7, 28 and 29, carried by stub shafts 30 and 31 journaled in a bracket 32; which bracket also serves as a bearing for the drive shaft 21.

The agitator shaft 15 carries two agitator blades 33 and 34 extending in a radial direction therefrom and preferably curved as best shown in Fig. 2 and provided with knife edges 33a and 34a. Both these agitator blades 33 and 34 are. disposed within the upper cylindrical portion of the hopper 12 and substantially spaced horizontally so that they will cut through the body of sawdust indifferent planes and thus effectually prevent bridging. I I

Mounted upon the shaft below its bearing 1'7 r05 and within .the lower tapering portion .of the hopper are'arms 35 and '36 which have cutting edges 35a and 36a and which operate as agitator blades in vertically spaced horizontal planes.

To the outer ends of these arms. 35 andv36 are 1.10

secured obliquely disposed agitator blades 37 and 38 having knife edges 37a and 38a. These agitator blades 3'7 and 38 revolve about the axis of the shaft 15 closely adjacent and in a direction parallel to the lower sloping wall 13 of the hopper whereby they serve, in a manner similar to the blades of an ice cream freezer, to'prevent adhering of the sawdust to the sloping walls and insure'that the sawdust shall freely descend by gravity to and through the discharge mouth 14 of the hopper. I

Beneath the discharge mouth 14 of the hopper is renewably mounted an agitator blade 39 of substantial thickness to resist the disintegrating effect of the fire within which it operates.

Surrounding the discharge mouth 14 of the hopper and the agitator 39 isja cylindrical wall.

or barrier 40 of cross dimensions substantially that of the upper portion of the hopper 12, serving to receive. and to confine the sawdust discharged from the mouth 14. This confining wall orbarrier overlies and surrounds a grate made up of tilting bars 41 pivoted at 42 to links 43 which are, in turn, pivoted at 44to a shaker bar 45. Between the adjacent grate bars 41' are provided narrow slots'46, insufficient in size to permit unconsumed sawdust to pass therethrough but to allow of the discharge of ash when the grate bars are agitated or tilted by means of the shaker bar 45.

Ablower 47 driven by its pulley 48 through a belt 49 engaging a pulley'50 on the shaft of the motor 23 supplies a current of air through the a pipe 51 to the head 52 disposed axially in line with the shaft 15 beneath the agitator 39 upon the grate made up of the grate bars 41. A valve 53 in the pipe .51 serves for the-accurate control of the air fed by way of the head 52 to the burning fuel. l

The functioning of the apparatus may be described generally as follows:

Sawdust being placed within the hopper 1'2 and the motor started, the shaft 15 slowly r0 tates, causing revolution of the agitator blades in the mass ofsawdust whereby its gravity feed through the open mouth 14 onto the grate 41 is assured. Such gravity feed will continue just so long as the level of sawdust within the barrier 40 does not rise above the open mouth of.

the hopper and no longer. At the beginning of the feed the sawdust covering the air supply head 52 is ignited and the valve 53 is so adjusted as to supply merely enough air to support a smoldering burning. of the sawdust about the head 52. As the amount of sawdust within the barrier and above the grate increases, the agitator blade 39 distributes the smoldering sawdust fromthe head throughout the base of the sawdust within the barrier, thus increasing the area of combustion and insuring its uniform distribution by constantly stirring the same. Thereafter, the apparatus, being in full operation, continues to function uniformly until all of. the sawdust within the hopper is consumed or the fire is dumped by operation of the shaker bar 45.

e The rate of combustion is controlled by the amount of air which is bled past the valve 53 to the combustion area. Increasing of the air supply increases the rate of consumption of fuel and reducing the air supply has the opposite effeet; while the rate of feed of fuel from the hopper is automatically controlled by the rate of consumption on the grate. However, to provide mechanical adjustment adapted to sawdust of differing grades of fineness and density, the

discharge mouth 14 of the hopper may have disposed therein a conical member 54 axially adjustable upon the shaft 15 whereby to vary the area of the discharge mouth.

There is no waste; no attention is required after being set in operation, the entire amount of fuel supplied is sufiiciently utilized in the production of smoke. The apparatus is portable, being readily moved from one location to another as conditions may require, thereby making for convenience and for maximum result from a minimum number of burners. By the present invention the cost of sawdust used in thesmokingof a given amount of meat is reduced by sixty to seventy-five per cent.

'We claim:

1. A smudge producing apparatus for smoking meats with comminuted fuel comprising a fuel hopper of generally funnel shape, a shaft mounted axially thereof, a radially extending agitator blade carried by the shaft to revolve in a horizontal plane, a second agitator blade carried by the shaft and disposed adjacent the inclined'wall of the hopper to revolve in a plane parallel to such inclined wall, a third agitator blade carried by the shaft below the hopper dischargemouth, a grate beneath the hopper mouth and the third agitator, an air supply pipe discharging above the'grate beneath the hopper mouth, means to regulate the air'supply, and means to drive the shaft with its agitator blades.

'2. A smudge producing apparatus for smoking meats with comminuted fuel comprising a sawdust hopper of generally funnel shape, a shaft suspended axially therein, radially extending knife edge agitator blades carried by the shaft to revolve in a horizontal plane, a second set of knife edgeagitator blades disposedclosely adjacent the inclined walls of the hopper and carried by knife edge arms secured to the shaft to revolve 'in planes parallel to such inclined wall, a third agitator blade carriedv by the shaft below the hopper discharge mouth, a grate beneath the hopper mouth and the third agitator, an air supply'pipe discharging above the grate beneath the hopper mouth, means to regulate the air supply, and means to drive the shaft.

neath thehopper mouth and the third agitator,

a blower, an air pipe leading from the blower to a point of discharge above the grate beneath the hopper mouth, means to regulate the air supply, a motor, and driving connections between the motor, the shaft and theblower.

4; A smudge producing apparatus for smoking meats with comminuted fuel comprising a sawdust hopper of generally funnel shape, a shaft suspended axially therein, radially extending knife edge agitator blades carried by the shaft to revolve in a horizontal plane, a second set of knife edge agitator blades disposed closely adjacent the inclined walls of the hopper and carried by knife edge arms secured to the shaft to revolve in planes parallel to such inclined wall, a third agitator blade carried by the shaft below the hopper discharge mouth, a grate beneath the hopper mouth and the third agitator, a blower, an air pipe leading from the blower to a point of discharge above thegrate beneath the hopper mouth, means to regulate the air supply, a motor, driving connections between the motor, the shaft and the blower, and a barrier surrounding the grate, the third agitator and the hopper mouth. a a

5. A smudge producing apparatus for smoking meats with comminuted fuel comprising a fuel hopper of generally funnel shape, a shaft mount- ,ed axially thereof, a radially extending agitator blade carried by the shaft to revolve in a horizontal plane, a second agitator blade carried by the shaft and disposed adjacent the inclined wall of the hopper to revolve in a plane parallel to such inclined wall, a third agitator blade carried by the shaft below the hopper discharge mouth, a grate beneath the hopper mouth and the third agitator, an air supply pipe discharging above the grate beneath the hopper mouth,

means to regulate the air supply, means to drive the shaft with its agitator blades, and a barrier surrounding the grate, the third agitator and the hopper mouth.

6. A smudge producing apparatus for smoking meats with comminuted fuel comprising a fuel hopper of generally funnel shape, a shaft mounted axially thereof, a radially extending agitator blade. carried by the shaft to revolve in a horizontal plane, a second agitator blade carried by the shaft and disposed adjacent the inclined wall of the hopper to revolve in a plane parallel to such'inclined wall, a third agitator blade carried by the shaft below the hopper discharge mouth, a conical member vertically adjustable upon the shaft within the hopper mouth to vary the area thereof, a grate beneath the hopper mouth and the third agitator, an air supply pipe discharging above the grate beneath the hopper mouth, means to regulate the air supply, and means to drive the shaft with its agitator blades.

ISAAC N. JORDAN. WALTER F. LUSK. 

